Chapter Summaries

Shade accompanied Miss Danist to inspect the Holy Grail and learned more about the Church’s preparations to heal the earth, then asked her about Saint Byron’s founder and her bargain with a god. Miss Danist promised to seek answers from Headmaster Pigman and warned that danger was gathering in Randall River Valley, where Shade chose to remain with Luvia.

• Miss Danist and the Church’s scholars examined the Holy Grail, and Shade translated its rune as “Sweetness” while they discussed its link to Earth Power and the Witch Council.
• Shade learned that the Church was preparing the Feast of the Earth Mother God, seeking the Four Seasons Flower, and investigating a disturbance expected that night.
• At lunch, Shade asked Miss Danist what Mana Falianna had paid Eternal Night Curtain, and she said Headmaster Pigman’s private library might hold the answer.
• Miss Danist agreed to write to Headmaster Pigman and warned Shade and Luvia that Randall River Valley faced a Petrification Plague, earthquakes, and traces of Third Epoch Evil Spirit Demons.
• Shade told Luvia that he had sought Miss Danist because he was Fiona Drago’s Fairy Godmother, and Luvia joked that he had finally admitted he was a woman.

Shade, Luvia, and Miss Benanis prepared to join the Church’s operation against Mad Earth near Randall River Valley. They found evidence of a brief battle in the woods and encountered a naturally born creature covered in Basic Rock.

• Shade and Luvia prepared his spirit-restoring Perfume Bottle, and Miss Benanis joined them in the private room before their departure.
• Shade, Luvia, and Miss Benanis left for the Guardians’ rendezvous point northeast of the city.
• Near the destination, Luvia identified Church personnel’s footprints in the snow, while Shade could not yet sense Mad Earth.
• The group found black stone fragments and battle traces; Miss Benanis identified the fragments as Basic Rock.
• A humanoid monster covered in black rock approached them, and Shade recognized it as a naturally born enemy rather than a transformed human.

Shade, Luvia, and Miss Benanis defeated a Fallen Elemental Giant Spirit and waited near a hill where the Guardians had warned of trouble. That night, a violent earthquake and a fountain erupting from the hill signaled that the region’s earth distortion had worsened.

• Shade tested the Fallen Elemental Giant Spirit’s strength, and it shattered his Heaton Seal and injured him.
• Luvia and Shade attacked while Miss Benanis summoned stone statues to restrain the creature, then they destroyed it with Feliana's Witch Light.
• Shade suspected the monsters were appearing across the Randall River Valley Region as earth power gathered, and the group continued to the hill watched by The Church.
• Luvia’s divination indicated that someone was interfering with Destiny, and she connected the sign to the Blood Spirit School’s Puppeteer's Script.
• At half past eight, fireworks appeared over the western sky, a violent earthquake shook the area, and malice from Mad Earth emerged at the hill.
• Shade saw people appear atop the hill as a fountain erupted from its summit and rained across the region.

Shade entered the Mad Earth-covered hill alone to investigate the cultists and the source of the black mud, while the Church fought the Fallen Earth Elemental Giant Spirits outside. After using his Turn Stone to Mud spell to destroy several monsters, he encountered a powerful barefoot ascetic near the summit and recognized a possible connection to a Nature Church figure he had met before.

• Miss Benanis and Luvia stayed at the outskirts to support the Church as Shade ran into the hill alone, carrying Miss Benanis's Gold Rings.
• Shade spotted Maria, the Nature Church's Thirteenth Ring Warlock known as the Nightmare Witch, watching the hilltop as black mud erupted from the summit.
• Shade used Turn Stone to Mud and Feliana's Witch Light to destroy a Fallen Earth Elemental Giant Spirit, then quietly defeated two more on his way uphill.
• At the edge of a petrified forest, Shade met a barefoot ascetic carrying an ancient Kerosene Lamp whose Miracle Element came from the God of Sun and Earth.
• The ascetic called Shade the God Summoner, and Shade recalled meeting the Nature Church's Thorn Sister, Ms. Sherry Wen, in Middlesburg.

Shade and Thomas Granger reached the hilltop, where cultists prepared three statues as God Descended Bodies for the Stone Heart Demon. After the cultists retreated, their remaining member sacrificed his heart to the child statue, triggering a surge of divine power that sent Shade flying.

• A Sun Church ascetic warned Shade that cultists atop the mountain were preparing for the evil god's descent and said the Church knew the truth about the Guardians.
• Thomas Granger's soul appeared beside Shade, and they continued up the hill toward the Black Mud Fountain.
• Shade and Thomas found five cultists dancing around three statues that they suspected were God Descended Bodies for the Stone Heart Demon.
• Two High-Ring Arcanists and two Mid-Ring Arcanists carried away the youth and old man statues, leaving the bearded cultist to face Shade and Thomas.
• The bearded cultist ripped out his heart and gave it to the child statue, which crushed Shade's Moonlight Slash and unleashed a shockwave that sent him flying.

Shade witnessed Thomas Granger, the Guardian, reveal himself as a Thirteenth Ring Warlock and battle the Stone Statue Boy. As Hermons returned and drew away the Church’s Thirteenth Ring, the statue prepared to summon a Mirror to uncover the Guardian’s identity.

• Thomas Granger manifested a physical Thirteenth Ring Destiny Ring and clashed with the Stone Statue Boy using Miracle power.
• Shade tried to approach, but Granger told him to leave while he fought the statue amid the falling black mud.
• Granger gained the advantage, but Hermons suddenly attacked and the Nightmare Witch intercepted him before pursuing him away from the hill.
• The Purple-Eyed Girl warned Miss Benanis that her divination remained wrong and that they needed to prepare to receive Shade.
• The Stone Statue Boy said it needed a Mirror to determine the Guardian’s true identity, and Granger reached toward its chest.

Mr. Granjay revealed his true nature as the Guardians’ shared soul and faced the Stone Mirror Demon’s army alone. As the statues’ final attack struck, he summoned the many souls within him and declared that he was not alone.

• The Stone Mirror Demon raised a ritual ground of mirrors and summoned stone statues whose power left the defenders facing despair.
• Mr. Granjay left Shade behind and flew into the sky to draw the statues away from him.
• The original Stone Statue Boy explained that it wanted to capture Mr. Granjay and fuse with his soul to understand itself.
• Mr. Granjay recounted how he discovered the earth’s memory and how the Guardians had voluntarily sacrificed their human existence to protect Randall River Valley.
• Mr. Granjay’s form shifted through the Guardians’ past identities before settling on Mr. Lathers, while Luvia realized Shade’s guess had been correct.
• As hundreds of silver attacks converged, Mr. Lathers revealed the many souls within him, used their Thaumaturgies, and declared, “Because I am not alone.”

Shade and the Guardians destroyed the Demon’s Stone Mirrors, but the Stone Heart fell into the Earth Crack and drew the gaze of an evil god. Shade drove the god’s presence away with the Silver Moon’s light, leaving the woodland restored and himself exhausted.

• Shade realized that the Guardians’ souls had fused into one person, and Mr. Lathers survived the destruction of the Stone Mirrors.
• The Stone Heart escaped Shade and Mr. Lathers by plunging into the Earth Crack, where it absorbed the pollution and stopped the earthquakes.
• An evil god’s gaze descended on the hill, altering the land and immobilizing everyone except Shade.
• Shade asked the Guardian to perform the Chosen One Ritual within a week, then used Desire Oil to unleash the Light Spell and repel the god’s gaze.
• Luvia found the woodland restored, while Shade returned to normal form and gasped for breath.

After drinking all the liquid in the Perfume Bottle, Shade explained that the Chosen One of the Earth was one being formed from hundreds of fused souls, then collapsed with a fever. He woke the next morning at Miss Benanis's manor, where the Witches confirmed that the bottle contained a dangerously toxic spirit-restoration substance and Luvia urged him not to use it again.

• Shade said the evil god's power had drained away the black mud, then explained that the Guardian was a single soul formed from hundreds of fused souls.
• Shade developed a high fever at the campsite and fainted as Luvia and Miss Benanis caught him.
• Luvia and Miss Benanis took Shade to the city, where he spent the night feverish and unconscious.
• Shade woke on Wednesday morning at Miss Benanis's manor, surrounded by Luvia, Miss Benanis, Miss Lathers, Miss Sylvia, and Miss Aurora.
• Miss Aurora reported that the bottle's residue was a highly toxic spirit-restoration substance, and Luvia made Shade promise not to use it casually again.

Shade recovered from a sudden fever while resting at Luvia’s home, and learned that Mia was safe and Miss Lathers had accepted her father’s death. He and Luvia discussed the worsening crisis in Randall River Valley and concluded that the Demon might aim to merge Stone Osenfott into the Guardians, leaving Shade worried that the Guardians’ distortion could create an opening for him.

• Luvia told Shade that Mia was safe with Dorothy and that Miss Lathers had calmly accepted the news of her father’s death.
• Luvia reported that the Petrification Plague was spreading, new areas of Mad Earth had appeared, and the Church was trying to contact the Guardians through the Heart of the Earth.
• Shade worried that the Guardians might become distorted and learned that Princess Margaret would bring the results of her investigation into Osenfott’s business affairs at lunch.
• Shade proposed that the Demon wanted Stone Osenfott to join and corrupt the Guardians rather than replace their First Candidate.
• Shade and Luvia considered that the Guardians’ own corruption might force them to accept new souls, giving Osenfott an opportunity to become part of them.

Shade and Luvia used a Wishing Coin to learn that the Chosen One Ritual should be held near the Heart of the Earth, with a long table and likely guests who possess Earth Power. At lunch, Margaret told Shade that Stone Osenfott’s smuggling could send him to prison once the Randall River Valley crisis was resolved.

• Shade and Luvia discussed the worsening Heart of the Earth crisis, the coming Divine Ritual, and their remaining tasks in Randall River Valley.
• Luvia divined that the Chosen One Ritual should take place somewhere directly connected to the Heart of the Earth, such as the Black Night Spirit Temple or the most affected part of Mad Earth.
• Luvia learned that the ritual would need a long table and might require guests with Earth Power, and Shade planned to seek more information at the Association.
• Luvia and Shade discussed the Witches who might help them and the growing scale of the threats facing the world.
• At lunch, Margaret told Shade that Gray Gloves had uncovered Stone Osenfott’s smuggling records, giving the King grounds to imprison him after the Randall River Valley matter was settled.

Margaret outlined a plan to use an investigation into Osenfott’s businesses to recover compensation for the Stone Masons Association and arrange a public reconciliation. Shade briefed the witches on the local threats and the Chosen One Ritual, and the gathering was interrupted by the arrival of Miss Aurora’s niece Hailey.

• Margaret told Shade that evidence of Demons at the supposed Silver Mine could prompt official investigations into Osenfott’s businesses and help recover the Stone Masons Association’s unpaid wages.
• Margaret said she was arranging a banquet to reconcile with local nobles and prominent figures, with the Stone Masons Association required to repair the damaged mausoleum without pay.
• Shade told the witches that cultists were pursuing a divine descent and identified the Sun Church’s Suffering Walker as its prepared vessel.
• Shade and the witches discussed the sacrifices needed for the Chosen One Ritual, and Shade planned to seek Enlightenment in Huntington about the winter sacrifices.
• The witches teased Shade about his relationships with Benanice and others, then discussed holding a girls-only pajama party.
• Miss Aurora’s niece and apprentice Hailey arrived at the manor study.

Shade returned home after meeting Hailey Aurora and reuniting with Mia, then visited Priest Augustus with Dorothy to collect a mechanical weapon. The Priest revealed a telescopic sword made to disguise Shade’s return of the Angel’s Finger Bones, leaving Shade with a weapon meant to fool his opponent rather than provide real power.

• Miss Aurora introduced her niece Hailey Aurora to Shade and the others, and Hailey blushed when Shade steadied her.
• Shade returned to his basement and happily caught Mia as she rushed down the stairs to meet him.
• Dorothy told Shade she had been worried after Mia arrived at her apartment with Sylvia, and Shade explained that an unknown liquid had given him a fever.
• Shade and Dorothy took Mia to Dawn Church, where Priest Augustus led them to his potion workshop and learned that Father Murphy had become a bishop.
• Priest Augustus gave Shade a mechanical telescopic sword with four extending blade sections, designed to look impressive and conceal Shade’s dealings with the Demon.

Shade prepared for his hunt by receiving Ancient Enhancement Eye Drops from Priest Augustus, then shared a quiet evening with Dorothy before returning to the Forgotten Church. There, Miss Sylvia explained the church’s hidden ritual and revealed that Iluna’s airship had become trapped in a Ghost Town, leaving Shade with a new matter to investigate.

• Shade accepted Priest Augustus’s ornate Telescopic Sword and received Ancient Enhancement Eye Drops to improve his tracking during the hunt.
• Shade spent Wednesday with Dorothy, who showed him Leisha’s Crystal Shoes and asked him to dance with her.
• Shade returned to the Forgotten Church on Thursday and listened as Miss Sylvia explained how its architecture and the power of forgetting concealed it.
• Miss Sylvia told Shade that Iluna’s Steam Airship had entered a Ghost Town where everyone was a ghost and had lost contact with the outside world.
• Miss Sylvia asked Shade whether he was busy, since she was free to help with the situation.

Shade spent a busy day with Sylvia and the witches before meeting Iluna in Randall River Valley, where they discussed the spreading Mad Earth and chose a local investigation. They set out to investigate the disappearances of Flower Girls, whose missing week left them with memory loss and signs of blood loss.

• Shade went shopping with Sylvia, discussed shipyard business with Aurora, and joined the witches for an opera and a nighttime tea gathering at Benanis's manor.
• Luvia told Shade to rest before the coming final battle and said she would be unwell for the next few days.
• Shade met Iluna at the Bountiful Earth Inn on Friday morning and learned she had encountered Mad Earth on her journey to the city.
• Iluna explained that Mad Earth had been reported in seven cities and that she was waiting for the final ritual while reviewing local tasks.
• Shade agreed to accompany Iluna before leaving for Huntington that evening, and they chose to investigate the disappearance of Flower Girls.
• Iluna told Shade that the missing girls usually returned after about a week with mild malnutrition and blood-loss symptoms, but no memories of their time away.

Shade and Iluna questioned Mary Cara about the missing Flower Girls and found a faint trace of the Whisper Element, then followed her lead toward Little Liana. After Shade lent Mary’s mother money to repair her unsafe house, they headed for Stonemason Street, where their carriage stopped short.

• Iluna and Shade visited Mary Cara in a village outside Randall River Valley City to ask whether she remembered anything about her disappearance.
• Shade sensed a faint trace of the Whisper Element when he and Iluna checked Mary’s forehead.
• Mary told them to seek Little Liana at the intersection on Stonemason Street, saying she knew the most about the flower sellers.
• Shade lent Mary’s mother money to repair her house and wrote an IOU before leaving with Iluna.
• Shade explained the dispute between the Stone Masons Association and the Kasonlik Royal Family as they traveled toward Stonemason Street.
• The coachman stopped the carriage before they reached their destination and said they could not go farther.

Shade and Iluna investigated the disappearances of flower girls and learned that a relic might be involved. Miss Lathers recovered a fragment of a victim’s erased memory that pointed to a strangely dressed young flower girl in an alley.

• Shade and Iluna found Stonemason Street in turmoil after a rumor that the Stone Masons Association had accepted royal money sparked a confrontation.
• A beggar directed Shade and Iluna to Little Liana near Peace Church, where they learned that eleven flower girls had disappeared and four were still missing.
• Little Liana suggested using a flower girl as bait and shared a rumor about a Flower Girl Monster that abducted girls walking alone at night.
• Shade and Iluna visited Wilde Opera House, where Miss Lathers offered to read a returned flower girl’s erased memories.
• Miss Lathers recovered a fragment in which the girl encountered a very young flower girl dressed in an unusual, storybook-like outfit in an alley.

Shade and Iluna tracked the missing flower girls to a sewer room, where they found the powerful Humanoid Relic known as the Flower Girl keeping them safe while using their blood to nourish a plant. The Flower Girl agreed to release the girls and leave the city if Iluna found the easy-to-obtain nourishment she needed, but she had not yet revealed what it was.

• Iluna disguised herself as a flower girl and searched the alleys while Shade watched over her.
• After Iluna vanished from an alley, Shade followed a trail of blood through the sewers and found her confronting the Flower Girl beside the four missing girls.
• Iluna identified the Flower Girl as a Keeper of Secrets Level Relic and explained that the girls had agreed to help her, though her power made them sympathetic to her requests.
• The Flower Girl said she gave each girl a white flower that protected her soul, and agreed to release them but planned to find more helpers unless she left the city.
• The Flower Girl offered to leave if Iluna found nourishment for her still-unbloomed plant, claiming it was nearby and easy for Iluna to obtain.

Shade and Iluna completed the Missing Flower Girl investigation, received a Summer Flower, and discovered a chamber contaminated by Mad Earth in the sewer. Shade confirmed the contamination was minor, though they had not yet investigated the chamber further.

• The flower-selling girl asked Shade for his blood, used three drops to grow white daisies, and gave him a crimson Summer Flower colored by Iluna’s blood.
• The girl released the four sleeping women, warned Shade about nearby Twisted Earth, and disappeared from the sewer.
• Iluna asked Shade to reassure her about her charm, and he kissed her as the Missing Flower Girl case ended.
• Shade and Iluna searched the sewers for Mad Earth, then Iluna blasted through a brick wall behind the flower girl’s table.
• Shade entered the hidden chamber and sensed Mad Earth, but found only minor contamination.

Shade and Iluna purified a sewer chamber, uncovered old resistance funds, and found the Sapphire Earring Stone Osenfott wanted. In Huntington, Intellect Angel Cherub confirmed Shade’s guess about the Earth Mother God’s feast ritual and gave him a trial involving Stone Mirror Demon-Goth.

• Shade purified the chamber’s corruption, formed a Blossoming Holy Grail, and discovered gold bricks and jewelry that he and Iluna agreed to partly donate to local churches.
• Shade found the Sapphire Earring containing a sealed drop of blood and decided to contact Osenfott on Monday before returning it with the medal.
• Shade invited Iluna to dinner, then traveled with Mia to a midnight lake in Huntington and crossed over to Lake Heart Island.
• Intellect Angel Cherub told Shade that he already knew the truth about the feast ritual and gave him a trial: use wisdom rather than force to overcome Stone Mirror Demon-Goth.
• Shade read the ritual’s instructions to offer Four Seasons Flower sacrifices and invite five wielders of Earth Power, then asked whether his trial really involved playing a game with a demon.